DIY Maine Music

Here is something new. A solo thing by Matthew Houston (me). It was recorded live in Orient, Maine in mid-August of 2015. Some of these songs are quite old. “Winter” was on the first Pamola demo. “Bacchus” has been part of a larger project that I’ve been working on since 2012 and which may finally start to come together this year.

Other songs are quite new, particularly the love songs, the first of which being written in 2014, and the last of which being finished in mid-2015.

I may begin to do more sporadic solo performances of this and other material. We’ll see.

The site looks different now, with a streamlined menu featuring links to our bandcamp and facebook pages. Both of these pages are brand new, and are part of an effort to revitalize and restart Rough Draft.

Over the course of 2012 apathy, distractions, and work prompted a neglect of Rough Draft. Most of the bands on our “roster” stopped playing, or evolved. But RD was never so much a label as a node, an interstice of the creative endeavours of a small group of people, that is, an archive. We hope to reinvigorate ourselves and to make available new music and new projects.

We have some long-term goals being planned at the moment, including a compilation and the forthcoming release of Red Medicine’s final album.

But there is new music to share. Soon The Waldos’ new, and sadly, last record will be released. Butcher Boy have recorded and released their finest, most beautiful album yet. Get that record here, at a pay-what-you-want price, and help support them. They’re currently wrapping up a national tour, and it looks like they’re only going to get bigger and better (like a boss battle).

Also, RD has put out its first thing in a long time, a lo-fi split of acoustic music from Billy Carr (Waldos, Pamola) and Matt Houston (Red Medicine, Pamola). This is the first of what we hope to be a small series of collaborative splits between friends.

Also, Dan Smith (Red Medicine) has got a new band featuring people from CUSS, Huak, and Honey Clouds. They’re called An Anderson, and they are mighty. Check out a video of their live set (thanks to Mike at Brass Cankles) or grab a sampler of their forthcoming record:

Tour plans are under way for everybody for Summer 2011. Once those get finalized, dates will be posted on the ‘Shows’ page, which I think will be renamed to ‘Tour’ (it’s too hard to keep all the shows updated).

Everybody has been playing lots of shows, working on lots of music. The Waldos have shared the first 5 tracks from what I understand will eventually be an LP (they have more new songs to record, etc etc). Check out what they have so far here. They’ve been receiving some much deserved attention for it, and for their rock-solid live sets. Here’s a video from Brass Cankles (Mike Cunnane from Huak, Rattlesnakes, Sunset Hearts):

Butcher Boy have recorded a new record, to be released at some point soon. In the meantime, check out a live record that came out of no where, recorded at The Oak & the Ax!

Pamola have started playing again, with a whole batch of new material. We’ll shoot to record it for the long-put-off Pamola LP (I think we’ve decided not to do anything with last summer’s recordings). Here is another video from Brass Cankles, this one of Pamola playing a new song during a set at Poland Street two nights ago.

Lastly, Red Medicine have finally released their EP that was recorded last May. A lot of work has gone into this, especially the packaging. You can either download the record for free or buy a physical copy for 5$.

Poland Street, the residence of Butcher Boy, half of The Waldos, and most of Pamola, has been putting on shows several times a month for a while now, with a diverse array of touring and local acts. The environment is fun, warm, and friendly. A few upcoming shows have been posted in the shows section, so drop by if you can, and be respectful.

Rough Draft has a new family member: The Waldos. These guys are nuts. Billy from Pamola and Mark from Butcher Boy augment the sick, jazzy, breadwinnery work of Justin Glover and Elliot McInnis. Their old two-piece demo has been linked on their band page. The four-piece has recently recorded a five song EP that is still being worked on and may see release sometime in the future. The rough mixes for it are unbelievable. We are beyond stoked to be able to count The Waldos as a member of our family.

Work on Pamola’s EP continues on its slow, lazy pace. I’m making no promises about when this will finally be done. Hopefully before summer.

Red Medicine’s new EP, complete with bass and vocals, is more or less done, with artwork done by Thor. Once we figure out packaging, and get the stuff all assembled, we’ll post photos, information for anyone interested in buying, and a link to download the music for free as well.

Check out the shows coming up at Poland Street and The Castle in Mexico, ME.

The album that we recorded for Butcher Boy back in February is ready. It’s been done for a while now, but it wasn’t until recently that everything has been put together, album art scanned, and files uploaded. It’s really good. The Butcher Boy set has already changed and evolved since these jams were documented, but the record remains a really exciting, energetic, and splendid collection of fierce and passionate country punk.

Red Medicine has also recorded a small EP, back in May. It will consist of previously captured songs but with the addition of bass and vocals, and is so far sounding pretty damn nice. Expect a final product within the next two months, or so.

Pamola is planning on recording and documenting everything they have within the next few weeks, and that process will likely continue intermittently for the rest of the summer months. Expect a couple of small releases containing this material in the future.

This weekend, catch most of the Rough Draft family at the Bridgton Community Center in Bridgton, Maine, playing a show on the 12th of June, starting around 6:00 pm. Pamola, Red Medicine, Butcher Boy, and Patter Cubs will be playing.

The following weekend, Pamola will be in Brewer on the 20th, playing at the Worker’s Center, along with The Besides, We Are The Vulture (ex-Joseph Merrick, incredible hardcore), and the great Daniel Striped Tiger on tour. That show is sure to be a good one.

Here be the Butcher Boy recorded, entitled “Turn the Devil Away”. Artwork done by Thor, who is also working on artwork for the upcoming Red Medicine EP. Please take it. And if you want a physical copy, contact us.